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On July 19, 2018 By In Theology

The Feeding of the 5,000 as a Lesson to the Disciples (Mark 6:30-44)

The feeding of the 5,000 is a famous miracle of Jesus, but the significance of its placement in Mark 6 is often overlooked. The preceding story is the beheading of John the Baptist. Herod threw a banquet for his nobles and military men, and it was there that John’s head was served up on a platter (6:21-28). Herod kills God’s people and offers their flesh as symbolic food to his guests.

The very next story in Mark 6 is the feeding of the 5,000. Now we see Jesus  feeding people. Not with a chopped off head, but with real food – fish and bread. There are two meals in Mark 6. One hosted by Herod, the evil king. The other by Christ, the good shepherd. The text presents us with a competition: Whose party is better? Whose table do you want to eat at? Jesus is placed in contrast to Herod and shown to be a true king. He’s even shown to have his own nobles and military men – the 12 disciples – and they play a large role in this story.

Jesus’ ministry has become so popular that neither he nor the disciples have time to rest or eat (6:31). People from all the towns are rushing to be close to them (6:33). It’s not just Jesus who’s getting the attention, but Jesus and his disciples. They, too, are experiencing fame from their teachings and miracles (6:7, 12-13, 30). (more…)

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On July 16, 2018 By In Theology

The Church: God’s Glory

In Revelation 21, John describes the city-bride as “having the glory of God” (21.11). She is a new Holy of Holies, the place where the glory of God is enthroned above the cherubim. God’s glory is seen in her and through her. That glory is the light by which the nations will walk (21.24). The church, being the body of Christ, is the place where the glory of God dwells on earth.

What is the glory of God? God’s glory is the revelation of himself, his person, power, and perfections. We might tend to think of God’s glory as something that is “contained” in God himself. We only stand at a distance and see the glory of God. It is true that God is glorious in himself. Men come into the presence of an all-glorious God, and they see their own deficiencies in his presence. Isaiah is but one example of this. He sees YHWH seated upon the throne in his temple, and he cries out “Woe is me!” (Isa 6.1ff.). (more…)

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On July 12, 2018 By In Theology

False Jephthah, False Esther, New Jezebel (Mark 6:14-29)

In Mark 6, Herodias plots and schemes to put John the Baptist to death. She is unhappy with John because he criticized her marriage to Herod. Herodias was originally married to Herod’s brother Philip, but Herod took Herodias as his own wife (6:17). This violated Leviticus 18:16 and John confronted Herod about it (6:18). Herodias wasn’t receptive to the correction.

Herodias wanted to put John to death, but Herod did not. He tried to reach a compromise by putting John in jail (6:17, 20). This satisfied Herod, but it didn’t satisfy Herodias. She will go on to use trickery to get what she wants.

Herodias’ daughter (now Herod’s step-daughter) danced before Herod and all of his nobles and military men at his birthday banquet. Herod was so impressed with her that he offered her anything she wanted: “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you, up to half my kingdom” (6:22-23). This was a rash vow that Herod will end up regretting. Herodias takes advantage of the opportunity and instructs her daughter to ask for John to be beheaded (6:24). (more…)

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On July 9, 2018 By In Theology, Worship

The Church: The Holy Of Holies City

At the end of Revelation, John sees a vision of the church, the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. She is a “holy city.” This holiness takes an architectural shape in this vision. John tells us that the city is a perfect cube; its width, height, and length are all the same. This cube-shaped image of holiness is not unusual. The Temple had a room that was cube-shaped: the Holiest Place or the Holy of Holies. Those measurements were distinct for this room. The Holy Place (the first room one entered in the Temple) was twice as long as it was wide. But the Holy of Holies was a perfect cube: 20 x 20 x 20 cubits (1Kg 6.20; Ezek 41.4). John’s vision is that the New Jerusalem, the church, is a “Holy of Holies city.” There are no more veils to hide us from God or God from us. No boundaries exist between the church and the throne of God. We, the city of God, live in the presence of God continually.

Understanding the architectural reference of the church being the Holy of Holies shapes the way we are to think about holiness. What is the Holy of Holies, and, consequently, what does that tell us about our own holiness? (more…)

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On July 5, 2018 By In Theology

Rejecting the Carpenter Christ (Mark 6:1-6)

In Mark 6, Jesus begins teaching at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. Many people are “astonished” at his wisdom and the mighty works performed “by his hands” (6:2). Yet instead of being enamored with Jesus, the crowd is offended at him (6:3). The Greek word translated as “offended” is skandalizó, which means to “scandalize” or “cause to stumble.” The crowd doesn’t respond to Jesus in faith and devotion, they respond with suspicion. They seek to discredit him. Nazareth’s offense lies at the center of verses 1-6:

A. Jesus arrives to Nazareth; teaches in synagogue (vv. 1-2a)
…B. Many are astonished by Jesus (v. 2a)
……C. Mighty works are performed by hands (v. 2b)
………D. Carpenter; Mary, Brothers, Sisters (v. 3a)
…………E. “They were offended at him” (v. 3b)
………D’. Prophet; Country, Relatives, House (v. 4)
……C’. No mighty works, except a few by hands (v. 5)
…B’. Jesus marvels at Nazareth (v. 6a)
A’. Jesus goes to the villages, teaching in a circuit (v. 6b)

In their astonishment, the crowd asks, “Is this not the carpenter?” Here we have a vocation attributed to Jesus. This is the only story in the Bible that alludes to Jesus’ vocation, or him having one at all (cf. Mt. 13:55). Though Scripture never confirms this to be Jesus’ vocation, we have reason to believe the crowd. They aren’t wrong about Mary being his mother (Mt. 1:16) or of him having siblings (Mk. 3:32-35). They have an adequate knowledge of Jesus’ life, so much so that they presume to know the names of his brothers. It’s reasonable to conclude that the crowd would also know Jesus’ vocation. (more…)

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On July 2, 2018 By In Theology

The Church: The New Jerusalem

At the end of the Revelation, John sees a new heavens and a new earth with a New Jerusalem as its principal city. The fate of the old Jerusalem has been described in the previous chapters. The first Jerusalem became Sodom and Egypt (Rev 11.8), and like Sodom and Egypt fell under the wrath of God. But out of the rubble of the old Jerusalem, God is making a new city. This new city is described in Revelation 21–22.

I have heard many a sermon at funerals as well as other venues that seek to comfort mourning Christians with this vision. It will be taught that John’s vision is that of our final resting place in heaven. While we can be comforted with many promises from John’s vision, this vision is not of heaven. This city that John sees is distinct from heaven because it comes down “out of heaven” (Rev 21.2). The New Jerusalem is also as much a people as it is a place. John sees the New Jerusalem as a “bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21.2). Later, when the angel takes John to see the bride, the Lamb’s wife, he shows him a detailed vision of this holy city, the New Jerusalem (Rev 21.9-10). This vision is not of heaven, but it is of a heavenly city. That heavenly city is the church, the bride of Christ. (more…)

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On June 28, 2018 By In Podcast, Theology

Episode 30: Baptisms in the Bible: Fire, Spirit, and Water

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:19 — 19.0MB)

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Does baptism save? What is the role of the Spirit in baptism? What is the nature and significance of our baptisms today? These questions and others are the focus of this insightful podcast. Pastor Uri Brito speaks with Pastor Adam McIntosh who recently published a three-part essay developing the connections of fire, water, and Spirit to baptisms (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). Adam uses his charismatic background to develop the contrast between a sacramental view and the non-sacramental views found in the charismatic and broad evangelical traditions. Adam hopes that these essays will provide a helpful introduction of the various baptisms found throughout the Bible foundational for how we are to understand baptism in the New Covenant.

 

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On June 20, 2018 By In Podcast, Theology

Episode 29: The History of Infant Baptism

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The debate over the proper recipients of baptism is a long one. While the biblical text takes a primary role in shaping our view of baptism, we are also a people incorporated into a holy, catholic, and apostolic church. While tradition does not solve this question for us, it certainly orients our attention to the way the Church has considered the issue of baptism for centuries. In this conversation, Pastor Uri Brito interviews Dr. Tim LeCroy on the history of infant baptism. His article can be found here. The discussion is quite interesting and will shed some light on this important topic.

Pastor Tim LeCroy blogs here.

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On June 18, 2018 By In Theology

Ordination

Ordination changes a man; not in a way that changes his liver into a lung, nor in a way that gives him magical powers to do sacramental tricks, but he is changed nevertheless. The change is more like when a degree is conferred upon a graduate or when a man marries a woman. In neither case is the man physically transformed nor does he receive special powers. However, he is a changed man. No longer is the man a student. He is a graduate, possibly with a title attached to his name and all the clout that comes with his new status. No longer is the man a bachelor, but he is a husband, who now has the privileges and duties of marriage. The molecular structure in his body may be the same pre- and post-ceremony, however, in many ways he is not the same person. He stands in new relationships, and those new relationships with all of their attendant responsibilities make him a new man. (more…)

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On June 5, 2018 By In Theology

Water, Spirit, Fire, pt. 3

In the previous essay, we saw that fire is a work of the Holy Spirit. The two are related so closely that they cannot be separated. Now we turn our attention to the Spirit’s relationship to water. Many have understood Spirit baptism to be a dry baptism, one that is of a spiritual nature only. John the Baptist does set up a contrast between himself and Jesus: John baptizes with water but Jesus will baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16).

This is interpreted to mean that Jesus will baptize with the Spirit and fire and nothing else. James Dunn maintains that the Greek baptizo [to baptize] does not specify water as the element of baptism, and that its use in relation to Spirit baptism is “obviously a metaphor.” Spirit baptism does not refer to any performed ritual. Dunn goes so far as to say that baptizo isn’t an essential description of Spirit baptism and that “other metaphors might just as well have been used.”[1] He continues:

He [John] certainly gives no indication that he thought the latter [Spirit and fire baptism] was a form of water baptism, or involved such. The assumption must be that he too took it merely as a metaphor…Water is set over against Spirit as that which distinguishes John’s baptism from the future baptism…Christ’s baptism will not be in water but in Spirit and fire.[2]

Dunn’s view is common among baptistic and charismatic Christians, whereas sacramental Christians see water baptism and Spirit baptism as two sides of the same coin. They are linked together so closely that it may be said, “Water baptism is Spirit baptism.” Scripturally, both positions have strengths and weaknesses. When mining the book of Acts, Dunn’s position appears to have the upper hand. The baptism of the Spirit sometimes occurs before water baptism or after an additional ritual, the laying on of hands. At the very least, one would not conclude that Spirit and water necessarily function together. (more…)

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